A sudden, urgent pounding at the door yanked me from sleep.
Morning light had already filled the room.
I hurried to answer, and when I opened the door, disappointment crashed over me like a wave.
Standing there was a stranger. Deep down, some part of me had still been hoping it would be Sean. But it wasn't.
"Hello," the man said politely. "I'm from the property company. My name's Jordan Kaylen. This area is scheduled for demolition soon, and I've come to discuss compensation."
I let him inside. He got straight to the point, but the offer he gave was insultingly low.
"I don't agree," I said firmly. "You'll have to raise the price."
In the past, I wouldn't have pressed so hard. But now, with little time left, all I wanted was to leave more money behind for Sean.
Just then, my phone buzzed with a message.
It was from Sean.
Sean: [Sorry. I have to travel for work. I'll come get you in a few days.]
Immediately after, another message popped up—it was from Ginny.
Ginny: [Cass, you're not angry, are you? I was too scared to travel alone, so I asked Sean to come with me.]
Me: [That's good.]
Jordan and I bargained back and forth for a very long time until my stomach growled, betraying me.
He grinned, flashing perfect white teeth. "Let me buy you breakfast. I haven't eaten either."
I didn't refuse. Every coin I could save now was another coin left behind for Sean.
At the bakery, Jordan sighed. "I'm just an employee. New to the company, actually. I wish I could get everyone a fair deal. By the way, shouldn't you tell your boyfriend about this?"
I gave a dry laugh. "Trying to trick me into talking? I don't have a boyfriend. Satisfied now?"
He scratched his head awkwardly. "That's not what I meant. I've just… heard a lot of stories about you from the neighbors. I was curious, honestly. Mostly, I admire how optimistic you are."
That word—optimistic—stunned me. I said nothing, simply stood and walked home.
The moment the door shut behind me, I broke. Tears crashed down in a flood I couldn't stop.
He was right. Once, I had been so optimistic.
When my parents died, I didn't give up. I forced myself to live each day with hope, with a smile.
Through ten years of Sean's cold indifference, I stayed cheerful, trying every trick I could think of to make him laugh.
I always believed the world was already cracked and broken, but if you could stitch it together with a smile, it could still be beautiful.
But somewhere along the way, my optimism died.
Maybe it was the day I first saw Ginny standing beside him.
Maybe it was the day I held the cancer diagnosis in my hands.
Or maybe… it was simply that I no longer had a reason to keep smiling.
The sobs wracked me until pain tore through my abdomen. I doubled over, choking up a mouthful of blood.
Only then did I remember… I had forgotten to take my medicine that morning.
I crawled across the floor, dragged myself to the table, and swallowed the pills with trembling hands.
It took a long time before I could finally sit up again, leaning against a chair, gasping for air.
Then my phone began to buzz nonstop.
A stream of messages from Sean filled the screen.
Sean: [These listings look good. Check them out and pick one.]
Sean: [In seven days, I'll take you to see them in person.]
Staring at his texts, I couldn't help but smile through my tears. I typed back: [How are you going to pick me up if you don't even know where I am?]
His reply came instantly.
Sean: [Our old home.]
And just like that, the tears fell again.
It was the first time he had ever called this place home.
Every time I used to say, "Come home for dinner with me", he would always retort, "That's not my home."
But now, he finally acknowledged it.
And yet, this home would vanish soon—disappearing along with me.
